SEER is useful for comparing one model to another much in the same way that a car's calculate MPG is useful. It's not an accurate prediction of exactly how efficient the system is, but it can tell you which one is more efficient. Also, since SEER is based on a "cooling season", what region you live in will determine how long or short your cooling season is.
My point is that the brand of equipment you choose is going to affect your HVAC installation cost greatly. People often call us for an air conditioning installation job and say, “I would like to install Carrier equipment.” Now, if you are a future client of ours, I’ll have to warn you – I can be a bit of a smart-ass. Why can’t work be fun? Besides…I was in the Navy for 11 years, what do you expect.
I just had my blower module replaced because my AC coil was frozen over. The underside of my coils had a thick mat of dust because I had never had it cleaned. I cleaned it myself by using a soft brush attachement on a shop vac. The inside of the blower appears to have a white/green growth, and I am sure the ductwork of my 30 year old house can’t be in good condition.
EPA does not recommend that air ducts be cleaned except on an as-needed basis because of the continuing uncertainty about the benefits of duct cleaning under most circumstances. EPA does, however, recommend that if you have a fuel burning furnace, stove, or fireplace, they be inspected for proper functioning and serviced before each heating season to protect against carbon monoxide poisoning. Some research also suggests that cleaning dirty cooling coils, fans and heat exchangers can improve the efficiency of heating and cooling systems. However, little evidence exists to indicate that simply cleaning the duct system will increase your system's efficiency.
The A/C System Cleaning and restoration industry has become a very lucrative bait and switch industry that many Carpet cleaning companies, Maid services, as well as plumbing or handyman service companies are adding on to there services. These add-ons are not fully certified, trained or even have any experience in the HVAC industry. These companies are the reason prices and quality of work are all over the place. If you are looking to make a smart decision for your home a professional Duct Cleaning service will protect you for 5-7 years. This info comes from NADCA (National Air Duct Cleaning Association) which is the closest thing to a license we have for duct cleaning. They have a great site that explains this process and pricing much more in depth and factual than what has been written here. This organization is working very hard to get these bad companies exposed and out of this industry. So in saying that do your research! Green Duct Decontamination is a certified company with certified technicians that take this work very seriously. We can not have these low rated unprofessional companies paste a bad name for an entire industry. Stay away from anything under 250$ for a full duct clean this is not feasible, go look at NADCA.com and you will understand why and what these companies are doing to rob you of your dollar.
A Full Installation is the most common type of HVAC installation for a reputable contractor. The ductwork adds two days of labor and about $2,000 to $3,000 to the price, but realize that this is a very important part of your HVAC system. Although it might sound like a good idea to reduce HVAC installation cost and get a quick change-out, realize that there is dirt and debris collecting in your ducts, and the ducts themselves develop holes and full breaks over the lifetime of your unit, all of which may be hidden from sight by insulation. Remember, many contractors will push a quick change-out on you because it is easy and good money for them – you need to be involved and ask questions.

A year and a half ago (fall of 2015) we replaced the furnace and air conditioner. From what we could determine this was the third forced air furnace and second air conditioner unit for the house. As part of the installation, we changed out the two 6″ ducts feeding the second floor with 8″ ducts. The idea was to get more cold air to the second floor in the summer. It worked and for the first time the second floor and first floor temperatures were the same when the air conditioner was running. Of course, to make the system work I close down upstairs duct damper doors in the winter and open them up in the summer.

I just bought a home, and the sellers clearly never had the air ducts cleaned. This is, unfortunately, typical of their neglect of the home, so I am not surprised. I was cleaning around the wooden floor registers, and I took the registers off. I found nests of some sort...all kinds of really gross stuff!! I am calling now to schedule duct cleaning for my new home. Anyway, it is very easy to check to see if you really need duct cleaning. Remove the floor registers and use a flashlight if necessary to see if there is dust or debris in the ducting. If these look bad, I'd definitely have the system cleaned. I would also do it after a construction project, after installing a new furnace, etc. I have found that once I had my previous system cleaned, it seemed to remain spotless for 3 years. So it seems that if you just change your filters on time (I have an iPhone alert set for every 3 months), the system will stay clean for years. Hope this helps!

A Full Installation is the most common type of HVAC installation for a reputable contractor. The ductwork adds two days of labor and about $2,000 to $3,000 to the price, but realize that this is a very important part of your HVAC system. Although it might sound like a good idea to reduce HVAC installation cost and get a quick change-out, realize that there is dirt and debris collecting in your ducts, and the ducts themselves develop holes and full breaks over the lifetime of your unit, all of which may be hidden from sight by insulation. Remember, many contractors will push a quick change-out on you because it is easy and good money for them – you need to be involved and ask questions.
DIY: We don’t recommend a DIY approach. Depending on the system, working with gas, electricity and refrigerant create dangers. Beyond that, it is essential that split system components be selected for compatibility. DIY installation of an HVAC system will void the warranty of most brands. The manufacturers won’t stand behind the warranty when anyone other than a certified installer does the work. This is true since improper installation is the main cause of poor system performance and mechanical breakdowns.
CIBSE publishes several guides to HVAC design relevant to the UK market, and also the Republic of Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and Hong Kong. These guides include various recommended design criteria and standards, some of which are cited within the UK building regulations, and therefore form a legislative requirement for major building services works. The main guides are:
If there is stuff in the ducts, the fact that it’s laying there and not being blown into the rooms is proof positive that it is hurting no-one. The 5-6 exceptions you cite in this article I’ll buy, but only with the caveat that at least some of those could have been avoided by proper protection (during remodeling for example) – and if asbestos/lead/whatever winds up in your ducts- the remodeling contractor should be the one paying to remove it.
Hi John, Thanks for reaching out, we would be happy to help you connect with a pro for your project. You can submit a request to our pros here: www.homeadvisor.com, browse a list of pros that serve your area here: http://www.homeadvisor.com/c.html, or send your info to emailus@homeadvisor.com and a project advisor will reach out to assist you. –HASupport
I need a complete system replacement , before I was trying to get an evaporator coil replaced , of course the price is between $2200 an $2800 , then get told it probably will over tax my ac unit within months , so now and like everyone else what do you buy 14 ,15 16 17 seer units ,price and how do we know its reasonable why can't there be '" a estimated price ,in the ball park, a range of prices ,so we can at least go from their ..... Now it's from 7500 to 15000. Frustrating from the start so everybody good LUCK. Draw a # from the hat Unregulated and who do you BELIEVE, just like on NCIS go with your gut feelin
The answer to your question is most likely "Yes," but not defiitely. It depends on where the dust is coming from. Now, if your house is more than say, 12 years old then you likely do have leaks in your ducts that can let in insulation particles and dust from your attic. If this is the case then cleaning of the ducts-PROPER CLEANING, which like the article sas doess include EVERYTHING that the conditioned air passes through, such as your indoor evaporator coil and blower housing assembly-is definitely a good first step to getting that dust under control! Of course I highly recommend that you also have your ducts SEALED as well, or else you will have to repeat the cleaning some time down the line. As a 3rd step, consider an electronic air filter. I always thought they were a scam, personally, so I never bothered selling them to my clients. Then one day my manager sent me to install one for a senior couple in a mobile home. The wife had bad allergies, and her eyes were constantly watering and puffy and red. Well, I did a quality check 60 days later and she could not stop praising that air filter! Keep in mind that in a mobile home, duct seals are not as complete as those in other homes due to access issues.
In the case of heated water or steam, piping is used to transport the heat to the rooms. Most modern hot water boiler heating systems have a circulator, which is a pump, to move hot water through the distribution system (as opposed to older gravity-fed systems). The heat can be transferred to the surrounding air using radiators, hot water coils (hydro-air), or other heat exchangers. The radiators may be mounted on walls or installed within the floor to produce floor heat.
I recently replaced my 44 year old furnace. Over the years we have had several construction projects inside the home. For many years breathing the heated air from the duct work caused excessive sneezing, sinus issues, and lung irritation. . The heat smelled like dust. To maximize air quality I added a humidifier, MERV-11 filter, and UV light onto the new furnace. To further improve air quality, I had the ducts cleaned and sanitized. I took before and after pictures of the inside of each return and output duct. They were filthy before, and sparkling clean and fresh after the procedure. Now when running the system, clean sanitized air flows through my whole house. A huge difference. It will make sleeping and being indoors during the winter months far more tolerable. I use window air conditioners, and run the system in the summer to keep the house air clean and fresh on hot summer days too. It works! Great decision!
I call to follow up at the end of the next day and she said that she has not been able to get in touch with the owner. By this time, I am starting to get frustrated because I am starting to get the run around. I question her if I am even on the schedule or if they attempted to schedule a crane. She says they are extremely busy and that she does not know. So I say, basically I have waited over 2 weeks and you have not put me on the schedule and I am at the end of the install line. No answer. I tell her to talk to her boss and find out what is happening, and I will think about what direction I want to move in at this point.

Mitsubishi Electric is a world leader in air conditioning systems for residential, commercial and industrial use. Challenged to create air conditioning systems that provide exemplary performance in the wide-ranging climatic conditions found throughout Japan, our engineers develop amazingly sophisticated yet durable units and systems capable of constant use under virtually any natural climatic condition on earth.

Dehumidification (air drying) in an air conditioning system is provided by the evaporator. Since the evaporator operates at a temperature below the dew point, moisture in the air condenses on the evaporator coil tubes. This moisture is collected at the bottom of the evaporator in a pan and removed by piping to a central drain or onto the ground outside.
I even asked if this is something they don't do, as in services on a Saturday night. I was told by the receptionist that they do and I would just be ok calling another company if they is not part of their services. They again assured me someone WILL call me in 10 mins. Well, unless their definition of 10 mins is never, then they got it wrong as I am still waiting to be called 5 days later.

I even asked if this is something they don't do, as in services on a Saturday night. I was told by the receptionist that they do and I would just be ok calling another company if they is not part of their services. They again assured me someone WILL call me in 10 mins. Well, unless their definition of 10 mins is never, then they got it wrong as I am still waiting to be called 5 days later.

I live in Port Orange, FL. I purchased a double wide mobile home and was saddened to learn that the previous owners were HEAVY smokers! They did a good job “hiding” the smoke smell the day we viewed this place. I did not have a home inspection done unfortunately. My question is: can duct cleaning remove the smoke smell from this place. The ceilings have been treated with Kilz and paint. I personally scrubbed down every wall, floor or surface. I also purchased a ODORFREE OZONE machine. It seemed to remove the odor for a short period of time but my friends are again complaining about the “smoke” odor in my home. The Ozone machine was $400 and I’m terribly upset that it didn’t clean the air as was promised.
Had duct cleaned (apartment) however, dust is still settling throughout the apartment. Contractor said no other cleaning necessary until two (2) years. Is there a time period before dust no longer settles prior to that time? Should the vendor had worn a mask? He did not cover his face the vents and dust was blown throughout the apartment (had family help with the cleanup). I had to leave when they left because I have asthma and I couldn’t breathe without coughing. Please help!
Is there a such thing as a PQ-15 valve? No…but how do we know? And oh, by the way, there are only two types of line-sets: 3/4 inch, and 7/8 inch. All modern equipment runs on a 7/8 inch line-set, so the only time they’ll have to change something is if you have antiquated 3/4 inch line-set from the 60’s or 70’s. I’m digressing though…the point is that they can easily prey on uninformed consumers…like you, baby bird! Don’t worry though…you’ll be flying by the end of this article.
I’m a heating and air conditioning contractor. I’ve been in the trade for over 15 years. I’ve witnessed numerous duct cleaning projects and talked with many duct cleaners. Duct cleaning as it’s usually promoted is a fraud. Most duct cleaners claim to deliver cleaner air. They deliver exactly the opposite. The studies on duct cleaning prove it, including a May 1998 study sponsored by NADCA and the EPA! The stories are compelling, but they can come up with stories that “prove” anything they want. Internet searches are dominated by results from those who are paid to tell you that duct cleaning is worthwhile. Search a little more and you’ll find the truth.
Indoor Fan Motor -- Indoor fans circulate the air from your house and through the system. Age and dust buildup are the two biggest contributing factors to their failure. When they are starting to fail they will often make noise. Failure of the fan will result in no heating or cooling, and if it is not repaired soon, it can cause other components to fail.
EPA does not recommend that air ducts be cleaned except on an as-needed basis because of the continuing uncertainty about the benefits of duct cleaning under most circumstances. EPA does, however, recommend that if you have a fuel burning furnace, stove, or fireplace, they be inspected for proper functioning and serviced before each heating season to protect against carbon monoxide poisoning. Some research also suggests that cleaning dirty cooling coils, fans and heat exchangers can improve the efficiency of heating and cooling systems. However, little evidence exists to indicate that simply cleaning the duct system will increase your system's efficiency.